I was in line at Chic Fillet today and two uniformed LEOs were ordering. I always heard they got free lunches wherever they ate so I was watching with curiosity. When one officer reached for his wallet I stepped out of line and offered to pay for the lunch. The officer wouldn’t let me, said it was against department policy and in addition the guy behind him was his supervisor. Is this standard policy in other departments?
I'll wager you a PF dollar™ 😎
The lunatics are running the asylum
I'm unaware of any policy like that in my area. It is forbidden to accept gratuities in return for a specific service though, which is of course the right policy to have.
My Dept Policy is the same, we are forbidden from accepting gifts, paid for meals, etc. Free swag from a conference that is being given out to everyone is ok.
For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Romans 13:4 KJV
We have the same policy. No free food/Drinks. It’s a PITA sometimes because a lot of places won’t let you pay for coffee. I always take something other than coffee or a fountain drink up with me and pay whatever they tell me to. Or if the place wants to give me free food and are adamant about it, I buy for the next customer in line.
Formerly known as xpd54.
The opinions expressed in this post are my own and do not reflect the opinions or policies of my employer.
www.gunsnobbery.wordpress.com
I read an article by a college professor who suggested that a great use of body-worn cameras would be to catch officers accepting free meals from restaurants. In a day and age when such clap trap is actually printed, you probably understand that officers are inclined to refuse free meals even if their mom offers to pay.
That said, your sentiment was certainly appreciated by the cops ahead of you in line and by LEO's generally.
In my area Chic Fil As give free meals to uniformed cops who dine in. Our agency discourages us from whoring for free food. That said, they also recognize some places have discount or free meal policies and they have a right to charge us what they want, and we try not to wear out our welcome. Sometimes citizens want to pay for officer meals and it can be rude or insulting to refuse. When you work for an elected official it isn't worth 8 dollars to insult a well meaning civilian. Safe bet is the drive thru or sack lunch. Avoid the whole issue if possible.
One agency I worked had no issue with free food as long it wasn't "influencing enforcement of statutes". We just gave the waitress a tip that would have covered the meal. They loved to see us come in.
-All views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect those of the author's employer-
There are over 18,000 LEAs in the United States. That means there are at least 18,000 “standard policies”.
I had an ER nurse in a class. I noticed she kept taking all head shots. Her response when asked why, "'I've seen too many people who have been shot in the chest putting up a fight in the ER." Point taken.
LEO free food. (I actually thought most of my food was LEO free.)
Though working in plain clothes my entire career, it wasn't unusual that certain establishments either knew who we were or offered when they found out, but our policy was always to give thanks for the offer but decline.
I can see both pros and cons to the provision of free food to those in uniform.
There's nothing civil about this war.
I realize that I may be the outlier, but I've always viewed prohibitions like this as being an exercise in swallowing a camel but gagging on a gnat.
The path of least resistance will seldom get you where you need to be.
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